Violins
by Abbeldy
Summary: And they thought they wouldn't see each other ever again, but what happens when you're soul magnets? Alex and Piper post Litchfield.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Piper wanted to teach. Ever since prison, ever since she had applied to teach in the GED program, she hadn't been able to get it out of her mind. In her four years of prison, she hadn't taught. She had looked at the books in the library longingly and spent many a lonely night on her bunk dreaming about teaching, what she would say, how she would express herself, how she would connect with the other prisoners over Shakespeare and Wilde. She didn't mind even teaching grammar, which would have helped them write their letters.

The day she got out of the halfway house, the day that she was finally a free woman, she had gone to Polly's house and googled teaching programs. Unfortunately, there were none that would take an ex-con as a teacher. She had gone back to waiting tables and living in one room of a matchbox apartment. She had been living out of a suitcase for a year as she had no closet and living in Queens was no joke. As she wandered the lanes of Central Park, one Spring afternoon, she came across this tutor talking to kids about the age of twelve. She sat on a bench nearby and listened, her heart aching. Her entire life before prison had been ripped out with that one statement "Piper Chapman carried drug money". Now it seemed that she couldn't get her life back on track after prison either.

She looked at the attentive faces of the children as the tutor described something and imagined herself talking to them about how Yates wrote to Maud Gonne to tread lightly on his dreams. She hadn't allowed herself to want anything or anyone after being rejected on both counts numerous times. She remembered her last date with Ryan, a seemingly nice guy she had met at a bar who literally bolted when she had identified herself as an ex-con. She missed Larry sometimes, especially when she watered Polly and Pete's plants when they were on vacation. She hadn't been on vacation since before prison. She sometimes understood why Taystee had come back. Life in prison seemed purposeful. You woke up, you had a job, you survived. Life outside – days merged into weeks which merged into months.

Soon, before she knew it, it was New Year's Eve and the entire City was bundled up in snow and lights. She worked in an upscale restaurant and was of course called in to work that night. She usually didn't mind it much because holidays gave her excellent tips. Tonight was another story. She saw all the couples and families and it hurt. It hurt that she was making a choice to not go down that road, it hurt that she knew that it was the right choice and it hurt that sometimes, just sometimes, when she tried, she couldn't have it. She shook off her depression and made her way to the kitchen to pick up her order for table 16. As she made her way to table 16, she heard a familiar voice that shocked her. She hadn't heard this voice in a very long time. She served her table and walked back passing the other table and saw him.

Larry Bloom was sitting there with a beautiful red-head. She watched him notice her, recognition bloom on his face and a small smile curve his lips. She grinned back and went over to say hi.

"Hey! Fancy seeing you here." Piper said, shaking his outstretched hand.

"Yeah. We've been in the city for about three months now. Oh Piper, this is Jessie, my wife. Jess, this is Piper… an old friend." Larry said. Piper frowned at being called an old friend but let it slide.

"I've been in the City for more than a year now." Piper said, not really knowing what to say.

"Oh that's good. Yeah, I'm working with the Journal now, full-time and Jess runs an outreach organization for kids who don't have access to proper schools." Larry said, looking at Piper, taking in the changes to her face, her hair, her body shape. He noted the freckles, the extra lines, the lightened blonde. She was still in great shape though.

"Oh that sounds amazing Larry. Congratulations. That's nice that you work with kids Jessie. I've wanted to teach for a long while now, but things just haven't seemed right." Piper said.

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked

"Well, people aren't thrilled to be letting their kids be taught by an ex-con. I was in prison for almost five years." Piper said, explaining. She felt embarrassed about this, though she knew she shouldn't. It was just a life experience, her life experience, society be damned. But unfortunately, she still cared for what society taught. She was no more the nice blonde lady her mother wanted her to be and that seemed like her biggest failure.

"Oh. Well, Piper, if you could give me your number, my office will get in touch with you. We need an English tutor. But the only thing is that the kids come from broken homes and are socio-economically unstable, so their context is rather different from ours. But catually, with your prison background, you could be someone who can relate to them" Jessie said, contemplating the scenario.

Piper was astonished. She couldn't believe what was happening. Larry's wife was offering her, her dream job. She held her breath as she wrote down her name and number on a slip from her waiting pad. She handed it over to Jessie who promised to get in touch with her. The night progressed and midnight came and went. She hugged herself at the possibility of a dream coming true and dared to think about it as she sipped on champagne in the kitchen at 1am. They had been allowed one glass and she smiled as she thought about visiting an old bookstore. At 5am, she was dead-tired. She collected her tips for that night which were more than a $1000. She laughed giddily as she walked to the subway, thinking that this year had a promising start. She went home and crashed, sleeping like the dead till 7pm. It was her night off and she used some of her tips to indulge in some wine, ciabata bread and a sweater she found at a bargain store. Even though the sweater was only $8, it was a lot to her. She remembered the times when cashmere graced her skin and she would toss it aside like a rag trading it for Alex's skin on her. She hadn't thought about her in a long time, let alone sex with Alex. She decided tonight was a night of indulgence and turned on her laptop to some horrible downloaded porn.

She leaned back on her bed and slipped her hand inside her pants, feeling her clit as her thoughts of Alex took over. She remembered her smell, the way she tasted, the way her skin felt and in that fevered state as she worked herself, she remembered the way her green eyes darkened and her husky voice. She came with her former girlfriend's name escaping her lips. She collapsed onto the bed, with a smile, feeling a mixture of emotions. She wondered what Alex was up to, if she had even gotten out of prison. Today, she decided was an ex-filled day. Meeting Larry, cumming to the thought of Alex, she remembered her life. Boy had she lived. At 33, how many people could say that they had a lesbian lover who she travelled the world with, gotten engaged to a nice Jew boy, thrown into prison, almost killed someone and was now dealing with trying to survive without anything inside? She debated going to a bar and hooking up with someone for the real deal but decided that she was too comfortable in her sweats.

The next two days passed painfully slow, with Piper being aware of every ticking second. She checked her phone almost ever 10-15 minutes, hoping that she wouldn't miss Jessie's call. She woke up at the crack of dawn, determined to not sleep through any call. It was one evening, on January 4th as Piper was getting ready to go to the restaurant that her phone rang. She leapt for it with a breathless "Hello?" and waited for the voice on the other line to identify themselves. She crossed her fingers as she gently sat on the bed.

"Hi, is this Piper Chapman?" Asked the voice, sounding young.

"Yeah. This is she." Piper said, sounding a little apprehensive.

"Hey. I got your number from Mrs. Bloom. She said that you were interested in the Bronx project, to teach. Is this a good time to speak to you? Oh I'm Melissa by the way." The voice said, sounding cheerful.

"Hey Melissa. Yeah I'm interested and this is a great time." Piper said, fishing out a notebook and a pen to make notes. She didn't care if she was late, she hoped she would be quitting soon anyway.

"Okay, so the job is in the Bronx. They need an English and a drama teacher. The hours are from 4 to 7 in the evenings, 6 days a week with Sundays off. Would you be up for that? I trust that Mrs. Bloom has explained the background of the kids you're dealing with. The classes are at the local Y." Melissa said, sounding like she was mentally ticking off points from her head.

"Yes. That sounds perfect." Piper said, making notes.

"Okay then. We'll need you to come into the office where you will be given an ID and some mandatory counseling and training after you fill out the paper work. Would tomorrow at 10:30am work for you?" Melissa asked.

"Yup. That's fine" Piper said as she noted the address that Melissa gave her for the organization. She was so excited. She figured that she would go tomorrow, fill in her paperwork and then quit the waitressing job.

The night passed by uneventfully and the next morning, Piper made her way to 87th West Street to the office. She met with Melissa who was a graduate student at NYU, working part-time and she filled out her paperwork and took a photo for her ID. She met Jessie after and thanked her for giving her a chance. She really liked the woman and was happy for Larry. Once done with the first session of training, which would span for 5 days and 4 hours a day, she made her way to the restaurant and told then that she would be leaving at the end of the week. The staff was sad to see her go, but made her promise to meet on Sunday for a drink.

Things were finally looking up in Piper's life as she made her way home the next morning after her shift. She saw some pretty flowers that she got as a celebration and went home to catch a few hours of sleep before she had to report in for training at 11am.

The next five days whizzed by, with Piper learning what to expect, understanding some of their background and trying to figure out how to deal with them. She sat with Jessie after her training to draw up lesson plans and try to sort out a syllabus for them. She thought of Suzzanne as she went through Shakespeare and smiled at the thought of the woman. She missed her friends, but hadn't been able to keep in touch with them.

That night, she went to Polly's to give her best friend an update on her life. She told Polly who listened in shock at who had brought about the change in her life. Polly asked if Jessie knew who Piper was and Piper said yes. Both Larry and she had told her and Piper had told Jessie the flat truth, owning up for her shit and tossing Larry like a dishrag. She said it was incredible that he actually spoke to Piper.

Polly was amazed that Piper was now mature enough to own up to her shit and not get defensive about it and about the fact that Piper was on her way to actually being friends with her ex fiancé's wife! Polly asked about Jessie, having cut off from Larry when he and Piper had broken up. Piper said that she was a really nice woman. She was the nice blonde lady that her mother wanted to be and she was happy for Larry and Jessie. Polly was really happy that Piper was finally getting to do what she wanted to do now and that she had suffered enough at the hands of society as a whole.

In two weeks, Piper was taken to the YMCA at the Bronx and introduced to the kids who would be her students. She had agonized about what to wear and had finally decided on an ACDC t-shirt and jeans. She looked out of place, but not someone who was charitable. Melissa had expressed approval at her outfit when she had shown up at the office. They sat at the back as they watched a young man take mathematics classes for them and Piper found herself wishing she was one of them. He was charming, he made maths fun and he looked adorable in baggy jeans, an oversized t-shirt and glasses. The epitome of a geek trying to look cool. He had caught Piper staring a couple of times and laughing with the class as he cracked a lame joke.

He came up to them after the class was over. "Hey. I'm Joe." He said to Piper and he gave Melissa a small hug hello. "Hi Joe. I'm Piper" Piper said, smiling shyly. "Piper is going to be teaching English and Drama here" Melissa said, looking at them. "Can you show her the ropes? I gotta get back. I have a massive psych paper due day after and I haven't even started." Melissa continued.

"Sure kid. Run along. I'll sow Piper around and get her set up." He said, smiling at Melissa as she ran out and he looked at Piper "So when do you start?" He asked as they started walking towards the back of the room towards his bags and books.

"I start on Monday, so it's my last weekend as a free woman." Piper said, her eyes twinkling.

"What does that mean?" Joe asked, as he collected his belongings in a book bag that had seen better days.

"Well, as a teacher, I gotta be an example. So I guess, I should do all the drinking I can right now." Piper said, with a hint of a smile.

"There's a bar down the street that's pretty nice." Said a voice, interrupting Joe. Piper spun around, looking stunned to see Alex Vause walk up behind her.

"Hey Alex! Are those the violins?" Joe asked, indicating to a carton behind her.

"Yup! You really think the kids will want to learn Joey boy?" Alex asked, grinning, while Piper watched stunned.

"I'm sure they would. Um, why don't the two of you go to the bar and I'll maybe catch up later. I want to sort through this and put it away." Joe said, almost ignoring the two women, oblivious to the obvious tension. He opened the box, peering inside and gasped. "Alex Vause, you are my Goddess. Just let me know where you'd like your shrine! Thank you so much!" He hugged Alex awkwardly as she laughed.

"It's all cool. It's the least I can do for you Joe. " She said smiling. She looked at Piper, who was still standing at the back, watching the interaction.

"You wanna go? To the bar?" Alex asked, gesturing to join her.

Piper nodded, looking at Joe and then hurried to join Alex.

A/N: This is something that I just randomly came up with at work. I was bored. Let me know if you want part two. Not beta-ed so mistakes are mine. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Piper walked a little behind Alex as she followed her to the bar. They hadn't said a word and she just stared at her with her mouth slightly open, eyes wide and nostrils mildly flaring as she tried to absorb the shock that was seeing Alex Vause. She looked good. She wore a black loose fitting cotton tee that fluttered in the wind around her ass wrapped in dark blue skinny jeans. She looked at her own tee and clutched it to calm her shaking fingers. What does one say when you meet the love of your life and you're not in love? Are you friends, are you hostile exes or are you someone that they used to know like in that song? Piper took in Alex's black hair bouncing as she walked briskly, she saw her calves clench and unclench as she walked and most of all, she noticed Alex's hands. They were loose, relaxed and beautiful. They were not clenched, white knuckled and distressed like Piper's. Piper put her hands down to her sides, willing herself to stop trembling and for the nausea to back down. Alex slowed to a stop at a door and turned to face Piper. "Welcome to The Loft" Alex said and swung the door open.

Piper looked down, trying to hide her red face, which was triggered by Alex just looking at her. She watched the brunette nod at the bouncer and grab a booth at the back. She slid in comfortably in a practiced move and smiled at Piper. "You can sit you know?" Alex said, arching an eyebrow. She hated it. Piper offered a tight smile and sat in the booth, making a show of getting comfortable.

"So. How have you been?" Alex asked, looking at Piper. She noticed the hair that was longer, the lines on her face, the smile and the questioning look in her eyes. It looked like Bambi still hadn't lost it. Alex sat back and smiled at the waitress who brought the beers. "I hope you don't mind?" Alex asked, gesturing to the beers.

"No. Not at all. Um, cheers." Piper said, clinking their bottles. "Here's to a blast from the past" she said, with a wide grin. Two could play at that game she thought. It wasn't going to be only her that was rattled that evening.

"Cheers" Alex said, inclining her head.

"I've been good. I'm going to be teaching at the center." Piper said, taking a long pull from her drink after watching Alex almost down hers. "What about you?" She asked the brunette.

"Oh. I've been doing this." She said, with a grin meant to torment. Piper smiled at someone she once considered her nemesis and as much as she hated it, she felt a familiar warmth as she heard her voice and felt the woman's scent wash over her. She always smelled a little woodsy, like mud after it had just rained, tinged with citrus. She could never pin-point the origin of that scent.

"This?" Piper asked, looking around and then at Alex's bottle as she brought it up to her lips. Big mistake. Seeing her lips pucker, Piper looked down, but not too fast, so as to give Alex any clue. Who was she kidding, as she looked up into Alex's eyes and saw them crinkle with a knowing smile.

"This. This bar, this table and sometimes, these people. You like?" Alex said, trying to antagonize Piper. She could see it was working, see that spark in Piper's eyes as she waited for a comeback.

"Sure. It suits you." Is all Piper said, nodding. She wasn't going to give Alex the satisfaction of being uncomfortable. She finished her beer and raised her hand for another one. She had to watch her count as she had only $15 that she could drink. The other $10 was her dinner later. Alex cocked her head to a side as she contemplated this new and improved Piper. She didn't think she would have to work at making Piper feel uncomfortable. She remembered her shock at seeing the blonde talking to Joey, at looking at her for a whole two minutes in stunned silence as she picked up on their conversation. She couldn't believe that of all the times that she had to meet the one girl she felt like she was pining after her whole life, she would meet her while she was flirting with one of her friends. Of course.

"I own the place Piper. " She said quietly, as she raised her hand for a second beer.

"What? Oh my God, Alex! That's great! Congratulations! I can see it now. This place is perfect for you!" Piper said, with genuine happiness. Alex didn't like it, she preferred to go back to sniping at each other than face genuine emotions. She smiled wryly at Piper, unsure of what to say next. "Thanks." She said and took a sip of the beer that the waitress had brought.

"When did you do all this?" Piper asked, warming up to Alex. It wasn't going as badly as she thought. She was getting ahead of herself, getting excited at the possibility of the fact that they were talking and that they actually might be in each others' lives!

"At some point. What did you do after getting out?" Alex asked, not wanting to be nice. She had kept tabs on Piper after she got out and knew she had been a waitress. She hated being in Litchfield for those two years. Piper had 7 months tacked onto her time for beating Pennsatucky and had gotten 4 weeks in the SHU. She had come out and Alex had acted like Piper hadn't existed. She had perfected a routine that ignored her and had gone on to doing so. She hadn't even attended Piper's going away party.

"I.. um.. I waited tables." Piper said, in that conflicting voice where she was ashamed of what she had done, but didn't want to say so. She looked around the bar, taking it in. She noticed the touches that screamed Alex and wondered why she hadn't noticed that before.

"Oh, so you went back to square one?" Alex asked, being condescending.

"You don't have to be a bitch Alex." Piper said, looking her squarely in the eye. "Well darling, did you think I would welcome you with open arms, cry over all the time we've lost, embrace the role of star crossed lovers and tell our story on 60 Minutes?" Alex asked, laughing mockingly.

"Some things never change do they?" Piper asked, looking at Alex sadly. "Apparently some things do. You've lost your fire. The Piper I know would have told me to fuck off, and she wasn't this all accepting, Buddha Zen doormat that you've clearly become." Alex said, pushing her glasses over her head to peer at Piper, and also to let Piper see the vast abyss of hate that resided in her.

"Well fuck you Alex. At least I fucking tried. You are such a chicken shit, you can't even face me without trying to feel superior. You believe what you want to. Whatever helps you sleep at night _darling_" Piper said getting up. She started to walk away from the table when she heard her name being called.

"It's ten bucks. For the beer. You're not my freeloading bitch anymore Pipes." Alex said, standing with her hands crossed. She looked at Piper's face, saw the conflicting emotions, the desperate urge to slap her and then the calm take over. Piper dug $10 out of her pocket, slammed it on the table and walked away.

Alex picked up the note, uncreased it, folded it and put it in her wallet in a pocket that had a picture of the two of them. She looked up, glassy eyed and blinked it away as she smiled when she saw Joe walking towards her. "Hey Joe" She said, leaning in for a hug. Joe always gave the nicest hugs.

That night, Alex lay in her bed, working herself to some porn on the television and came with the sight of Piper's smiling face.

"Fuck. Fuck her. Fuck this" She whispered as she yanked her panties up and then the comforter and closed her eyes.

A/N: Yes, it's been a while. Thank you for the follows and reviews


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Piper woke up the next morning a little disoriented. The minute her mind was conscious, she had a million things racing through it. The top two contenders being "Oh my God! I'm actually going to be teaching" and "Alex Vause". In typical Piper fashion, Alex took the bulk of her brain. Why was she being such a bitch to her, how did she know Joe, when had she gotten out, where did she live, was she seeing anyone… The tumultuous emotions coursing through her put her on autopilot as she brushed her teeth, took a shower and pulled on her clothes. It was only when she looked in the mirror did she snap back to reality. She looked like she was coming down from a high. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes wide and her expression of wonder. She snapped out of it, picking up her file where she had her proposed lesson plans and headed out. She would not think of Alex today. Period.

She met Jessie and they, along with fellow tutors and board members, presented lesson plans and activities. She saw Joe from the previous evening and smiled at him. This time though, she didn't find him charming or adorable, she wanted information. When it was his turn, she had pretty much tuned out until she heard Alex's name.

"Yeah. Alex Vause actually brought me the violins for the kids." He said, looking at Jessie.

"I need to meet this Alex. She seems so interesting and so kind." Jessie said, smiling and making a note of the violins as Joe went on to tell her how many there were and what he planned on doing with them. Piper almost bit back a harsh laugh. This was the first time that she had ever heard Alex being described as kind. Clearly Alex hadn't told Joe that they knew each other and Piper had no intention of telling him anything either.

Across town, Alex woke up and stretched her long body. She held still for a minute, listening to the sounds of people below. She glanced at the clock which told her it was 10:30am and buried herself under the covers. She shut her eyes and opened them wide as the events of yesterday came flooding back. Piper Chapman was back in her life. She had wondered about what had happened to her and though she wanted nothing to do with that woman, she knew she had to know. Being aware was her greatest weapon and Piper was her greatest weakness. She listened to kegs being rolled in below and pushed herself off the bed.

Taking a shower and pulling on the first thing her hands could find in her closet, Alex walked into The Loft in a white tee and black jeans. The tee hugged her curves, making Samantha, the bartender slash back-up manager raise her eyebrows suggestively. Alex laughed and went to her usual booth at the back and opened her laptop and the 4 excel sheets that were in the process of being consolidated. She hated this part of her job. She looked across to where Piper had been sitting the previous night and recalled some of their conversation. For a moment, she wondered if she had to have been a bitch to her, but the thought was gone in a flash. Piper deserved the shitfest that came her way. Destroying a person's love twice took special skill and had special consequences.

She wondered if she should see the blonde again or leave it for a while as it was entirely in her control. She could show up at the center or not. She took a deep breath and sighed. She didn't want to see the blonde. She had spent years trying to wipe the woman out of her system, but no matter how much she de-toxed, the faint feelings ran through her bloodstream, being pumped through her heart. She then accepted the plate of pancakes and a milkshake from Sam and blew her a kiss in thanks. Sam was a straight girl who loved to flirt with hot people. She knew that they wouldn't ever even kiss, but lord, it was fun! She turned to her excel sheets and started working on them.

Piper finished her meetings and headed to the school, to explore it and meet her class. Her teaching would be monitored by Caroline, the teacher she would be replacing and once Caroline felt that Piper could stand on her own, she would leave. Piper was excited. This was scary because she could mess up so easily, but she had clearly done scarier things in her life. While she adopted an attitude of positivity, she knew that she wasn't the pushover she had been.

After coming out of SHU, she saw that Alex had stayed true to her word of ignoring her, she had become fast friends with Jenae and Yoga Jones. She had even explored Buddhism with her and had understood the concept. After getting out, she read more on it, realizing that the general public had such a misconstrued notion of what Buddhism was all about. She did learn a lot about keeping her temper in check and she did help her get through prison with no more incidents. Alex had looked good. She looked more toned, stronger and healthier, while Piper had lost weight post prison, unable to stomach a lot of food in one go. She had started running immediately, finding it cathartic and it helped her deal with the stress of the real world.

Once done with observing Caroline's class, she started walking to the subway to take it home. She passed by The Loft and slowed down. She didn't stop because she knew that if she stopped, she would go in and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Alex unfortunately drew her in like a magnet. No matter how much she tried to fight it, how much she wanted to hate her, she didn't. She picked up speed, not seeing the face of her former lover stare at her through the darkened glass.

Alex sat at the booth, trying to wipe Piper from her mind with multiple shots of tequila, failing horribly. Everywhere she looked, she saw blonde hair and blue eyes. When Sam brought her a plate of chicken wings and beer, she looked at the redhead gratefully. She picked up a wing and started eating, only then realizing that she hadn't eaten since the afternoon. Suddenly she was ravenous.

"Hey. What's going on? You're acting so weird. Like you're in some funk." Sam asked, reaching out to hold Alex's hand in hopes that it would give the brunette whatever comfort she needed.

"Remember Piper? I told you about her on one of our drunken nights?" Alex asked, smiling at her and squeezing her hand. She was glad she had a friend.

"Yeah, I remember. I'm surprised you remember telling me that night." Sam said, smiling back at Alex.

Alex barked a laugh. "Yeah. Well, I saw her yesterday and now I can't stop thinking about her. Everywhere I look, I see her damn face! She needs to get out of my head!" Alex said, getting riled up. She hated that woman and Piper's words from the kitchen rung through her head. "Sam. I love her and I fucking hate her. I thought she was out of my life. How the fuck should I know that she would be here, in the City? New York was always my playground. Mine. Why can't that bitch just get her own?" Alex said, knowing she was being unreasonable.

"Do you hear yourself? You sound like a 3 year old whose mommy is making her share toys. New York belongs to America sweetheart. Not Alex Vause. So get over yourself. I saw you guys last night, getting into a fight. I recognized your expressions also. Why the fuck were you being so pissy?" Sam asked, raising one eyebrow, much like the woman she learned that from.

"Oh shut up Sammy. I'm fucking drunk, I see my ex everywhere, I've earned the right to be 'pissy' as you call it." Alex said, looking outside the window and jumping. "What the fuck. She is everywhere. That is her. This blonde piece of ass is her." Alex said, gesturing to Piper walking slowly outside.

"Hahahahaha! Oh my God! Typical Alex luck. I love this!" Sam said, peering outside to get a closer look at the woman responsible for turning her smart, sexy friend into a drunken, blubbering three-year-old.

"Fuck you. I'm heading upstairs. I'll be down in a few hours. Call me if you need something." Alex said, pushing her wobbly frame off the booth.

"Email the reports to me you asshole. And please, when you come down, be bathed and sober?" Sam asked, grinning at Alex.

"The laptop's there. Email it yourself. But if you sign me up for anymore porn websites, I will break your neck. I really do not want a penis with 'Who's your daddy' on my screen. There is a reason I like pussy. That shit's gross." Alex said, walking to the back door that led to her quarters.

Piper got home after an exhausting day and sat on her cushy bed. She had scrimped every penny and really splurged on a nice queen bed. It took up most of her room, but she didn't care. Being able to spread out on a mattress and stretch was a privilege she never wanted to take for granted. She looked at the time which was 10:07pm and she smiled. All in all, it was a productive day. She looked at her cell phone, scrolling through her favourite contacts until she stopped at Polly's name. She hit dial and waited for Polly to pick up.

"Hello? Pipes, what happened?" Polly's disgruntled voice sounded. Piper had clearly woken her up from her sleep.

"Hey Pol. Sorry about waking you." Piper said, mentally preparing herself for the bomb she was about to drop.

"Hmmm. So what happened?" Polly said sleepily.

"I met Alex." Piper stated and held the phone at arms distance, not wanting to her Polly scream.

**A/N: I hope this chapter made things a little more clear. Thank you for the reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

It had been two and a half months since that fateful day that she ran into Alex at the center and they talked in the bar. She didn't know if they were going to talk again, or meet again, but she couldn't get her out of her head. Even if she was crazy busy with her work, helping Polly who had her second child on the way now, Alex popped into her brain faithfully at least once. It may have been a song, a t-shirt or a line in a book. She avoided women with glasses like the plague and men in general. She sighed as she got ready to leave work for home. Today was one day in a long time where she wasn't going to some dinner with Jessie, planning with Polly or meeting any of her friends. She had made friends with Caroline, another teacher and Nicky was still in New York. She met the bushy haired woman often, but had banned her from talking about Alex. If Alex was going to be a bitch about it, she wanted no say in it. Technically, Alex had no right to be mad at her.

She gathered her things and ran into Joe who asked her to come to The Loft with him. Piper looked at him and declined. "Hey come on. You never come out with us. You always excuse yourself with some ridiculous story. Stop being so anti-social!" Joe said, looking back at Caroline walking up to them. "Hey Caro, do you mind telling Piper how anti-social she is! She never comes out with us!"

"Sweetheart I've been trying to tell her every week. She's just being a cow. Come on Piper! Come out for once." Caroline said, holding her forearm, tugging gently.

Piper laughed at them and felt loved. She liked that her colleagues hadn't given up on her, despite the number of times she had said no. She also thought about how it was time to see Alex again and she knew that going there was not exactly her fault as her colleagues where 'forcing' her to join them. She let Caroline tug her along and felt Joe link his arm in hers. She knew the boy liked her, but she made sure she didn't lead him on. As they made their way down the street, she gently pulled both her hands out from Caroline and Joe and skipped ahead a little calling out "Come on you guys! Y'all are like snails!" Grinning and almost bumping a guy as she walked backwards.

The duo laughed at her and sped up, keeping pace with the blonde. Piper had maneuvered so that Caroline was between Joe and herself. She knew Joe got the message, but he still tried with Piper. They went into the bar, climbing down the four steps. Caroline and Piper found a booth inside, while Joe went to say hi to the owner. As Caroline sat next to Piper, she looked at her with an eager expression.

"So? What made you decide to come along?" Caroline asked, nudging Piper and casting a glance at Joe. Piper followed her gaze and laughed. "Oh Lord. No. Caro, he's incredibly sweet and he's such a nice guy. But that's the problem." Piper said, smiling at Caroline.

"What's the problem? You go for the 'bad boys'? Piper, honestly, aren't you a little old for that? Like we gotta look at guys that we can settle down with, not race across the City on their motorcycles." Caroline said, feeling bad for her friend. He liked this girl so much and she wasn't giving him the time of day because of such a silly reason. She had honestly thought Piper was more than that.

"Oh no, no. The problem is that he is a _boy_ Caroline. Get it?" Piper asked, for some reason feeling reluctant to say that she was a lesbian. She didn't feel comfortable with the word or the label as yet. She wondered if she should just call herself an Alexian and be done with it. She had caught a glimpse of the brunette and was fighting with everything she had to not turn and just stare at her, mopping her drool from time to time.

"Huh? Oh! Ooohhhhhh! Jeez. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that at all. And I don't think he does either! You don't give off the 'vibes' at all. And by vibes, I mean the butch dungaree wearing, motorcycle riding, close crop combat wearing lesbian vibes. Y'know?" Caroline said chuckling. "I know I'm being a stereotypical asshole, but that's the only way I can tell." She said, moving her bottom on the seat, settling herself a little better. "Oh my God. You should meet the owner. She's Joe's friend. She is SO hot and Joe said she is gay. So you guys should meet. Maybe you'll hit it off! Her name is Alex Boss. And boy oh boy, she is a boss." Caroline said, getting excited. Piper laughed politely, slightly alarmed at Caroline's trail of thought. She bit her tongue to not laugh when Caroline called Alex, Alex Boss.

"Um, I'm not really into dating right now Caro. But thanks for looking out! I'll definitely give you a call if I ever want to be set up!" Piper said, turning to the waitress who had approached their table. Caroline gave their order, two beers for herself and Joe and a margarita for Piper. Joe came back, oblivious to the side gazes that Caroline was sending him.

The three of them talked and laughed about City life, experiences with the kids and life in general. As the time wore on, and Piper was on the third margarita, she finally turned to see if she could spot Alex at the bar or at her table. Caroline caught her looking and filled in Joe about Piper's preference and her idea of setting her and Alex up. Joe looked a little shocked but before he could say anything, Piper caught Alex's eye and they stared at each other and Piper's eyes widened in shock as she heard her friend call out "Alex! Alex Boss, come here!" She turned towards Caroline to see her beckon Alex frantically. She put her hand out and pulled Caroline's hand down, but it was too late as she watched Alex approach the table with her usual catlike grace. She heard Caroline inhale and mutter "Holy wow" under her breath and fought off a smile. Alex had that effect on people. She called it The Vause Effect.

"Hi." Alex greeted the table as she approached. She smirked at the three of them, not knowing how to react. It had been 10 weeks since she had last seen Piper and she wondered what to say. She hid her uncertainty by looking at Caroline up and down, in a slow meaningful way.

"Um, this is Piper. Piper, this is Alex Boss. Piper likes women, so I thought you two should meet. Please sit down. Joe come with me." This was said by Caroline in one breath, as she shoved Joe off his seat in the booth and he was dragged towards the bar. Alex smiled at Caroline's antics and sat down with Piper.

"Hey." Alex said, offering Piper a small smile. Piper was taken aback by this reaction. "Hi. I'm sorry I'm here. They made me come." She said, looking at her margarita glass.

"That's bullshit and you know it. No one makes another person do anything Pipes. There's always a choice." Alex said, reaching out to touch Piper. Piper is jolted by their hands touching, the feeling of Alex's skin. Her hand feels hot while her hand is chilled from the margarita glass it's been wrapped around.

"Fine. I wanted to see you. I guess my masochism hasn't worn off." Piper said, staring Alex in the eye. Alex slid a little further into the U shaped booth, connecting her knee with Piper's. "I'm sorry. I acted like a bitch when we met and I still had so much resentment towards you. I resented the hold you had on me, even after all the shit that we've been through" Alex said, looking down.

"Maybe it is because of all that shit that we have such a hold on each other. Alex, I love you. I always will and a part of me will always be _in love _with you, but honestly, I can't do this. I don't know if you will hate me or love me, if you will judge every decision I make, read into everything I say. I know that I would, if I were you and I don't know what to do. I really, really want to be with you but I really, really want to be without you too." Piper said, voicing what she had been thinking about for the last two months, not bothering to even wonder if Alex felt the same way. She didn't know if Alex wanted to be with her, if she loved her, if Alex had a girlfriend at all. She just blurted it out, feeling a sense of relief to be able to tell someone. She couldn't talk about this to Polly or anyone else.

"Jesus fuck Piper. What makes you think that I even fucking like you, forget about actually loving or being in love with you! Do you even think before you say anything at all?" Alex asked, moving away. How dare this woman assume that she would go back to Piper like a bloody cocker spaniel as soon as she crooks her finger? Alex was sick and tired of the whiplash that stung her every time she opened up to Piper. She just stared at the blonde, who looked at her.

Piper eased into Alex's personal space, put her hand behind Alex's neck and pulled her close. She could feel Alex's breath on her lips as she panted and Piper closed the distance. She swore she could hear the Hallelujah chorus as their lips met and molded to each other. She shivered as she felt Alex's fingers comb through her hair and felt Alex smile into her lips. She ran her tongue across Alex's bottom lip demanding entry and felt like she would explode at the feel of the other woman's body pressed close to hers. They kissed for what would seem like hours, but was only seconds before breaking apart.

Alex eased back, her hands still on Piper's waist. "Pipes." Alex said, looking into the blonde's eyes, trying to read her expression. "I know. We need to talk. When will you be free?" Piper asked. "Before 11 everyday. Otherwise I'm pretty tied up here." Alex said gesturing to the bar with one hand, the other playing with Piper's sleeve on her hand.

"Okay. How about I come over tomorrow for breakfast?" Piper asked, reaching up to play with Alex's hair. Alex nodded and Piper smiled. She pulled out some bills as Alex helped her out of the booth. She walked over to Joe and Caroline who stood gaping at her.

"Girl, you work fast!" Caroline gushed as Piper blushed. She handed over the bills to her and bid them a good night. She hugged Caroline and kissed her cheek, whispering a thanks and stumbled back, only to be caught by the strong arms of Alex 'Boss'. They walked outside, Piper standing quietly as Alex hailed her a cab. Once the cab came, Alex kissed Piper softly. "I should tell her you name isn't Alex Boss you know." Piper said, leaning into Alex. "Don't you fucking dare. I kinda like that she thinks it is." Alex said grinning. Piper kissed Alex in that minute and recoiled. "Oh ew. I kissed your teeth." Piper whined while Alex leaned in and kissed her again, on the lips. "There. You baby. Get home safe. Call me when you've reached." Alex said. "I would, but I don't have your number!" Piper said, handing Alex her phone to enter the number.

Piper then slid into the cab, watching Alex as she watched the cab leave and enter her bar. Piper leaned back and sighed. Now what, she wondered.

**A/N: thank you guys for reading and reviewing. I'm so sorry about the delay, but I got a massive case of writer's block! This chapter may not be awesome, but at least it's something, I figure. Hopefully I will be able to update this soon! Also, Laura is in 24 minutes of Season 2. I call foul. She better be there in all but 24 minutes of Season 3. That's all I'm saying! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I own nothing**

Piper woke up the next day a little earlier. She pulled on her running gear and headed out, her pace in tune to the dubstep she was listening. She was never into that kind of music, but prison had changed her. She marveled at how much one particular experience had altered her. She remembered Nicky playing it for her and her being astounded that machines having epileptic fits could be called music. Now she smiled at herself, as she felt the New York air – hot, humid and cold at the same time – hit her face as she pounded the pavement. She needed the run if she was going to work off the nervous energy she had. In true Vause fashion, she knew the older woman would be freaking a little after having slept on it. She hated to leave Alex, to give her time to think about what she had said and that kiss. Jeezus, she was blushing just thinking about it. She went around a building corner and almost bumped into someone and apologized giggling. She felt like she was sixteen again.

She got home and took a shower, scrubbing all the sweat off her. It was 8:30am, and she had to leave by 10am if she was meeting Alex at 11. She had her class at 4 and she wondered how long it would be at Alex's, if she should take a book or if she was being too presumptuous by thinking she would stay. She heard her phone ring, but ass lathered up, there was little she could do about it. She got out of the shower and found her phone. It was Alex. She called back, waiting for her to pick up.

"Hey." Alex's slightly gruff voice penetrated her ear. Piper smiled, knowing Alex had just woken up. The number of times that voice had woken her up was countless.

"Hey! You called?" Piper said, trying to dry her hair with one hand and a towel. She quickly gave up and sat on her bed, well aware that she was talking to her former lover stark naked.

"Um, yeah. I just woke up and was wondering when you were getting here. Sorry, I know you said when, but last night got crazy after you left. A fight broke out and I had to sort that shit out." Alex said, sounding sleepy and tired.

"Oh. At 11am. Are you okay?" Piper asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I guess. I got punched in the face. Fucking hell that hurt. Your view on life experiences is warped my friend. I would have been pissed beyond measure if I were you!" Alex said. Piper could hear her shuffling around and then uncharacteristically squeak in pain.

"Alex?" Piper asked, wondering what the hell was going on.

"Yeah yeah. Sorry. I was exploring my shiner. Jeez. Anyway, you're coming here at 11 right?" Alex asked, confirming their plan.

"Yeah. I'll see you soon!" Piper said, unable to keep the excitement fully from her voice.

"Cool. See ya!" Alex said, hanging up.

Piper pulled on her clothes and took her time with her face. She wanted to look casual, yet slightly made up. She wanted a fresh day look and it took a while coming up with the right balance. She looked at the watch. It was 9:53am. She looked in the mirror, liking what she looked like in black slacks and a white sleeveless blouse. She wore slight heels, picked up her bag and headed out.

She reached The Loft with ten minutes to spare, but walked in anyway. She didn't want to stand outside and be all sweaty. The bar had a very different look during the day. It was bright, airy and empty. She spotted Suzanne and a waitress who looked familiar. She went to the back and sat at Alex's table and called her.

"Hey Alex. I'm at the bar." She said when Alex picked up. She fiddled with her phone, playing Tetris as she waited for Alex to come downstairs. She looked up as she heard footsteps and saw Alex come down. Her legs were wrapped in tight black jeans and she wore a black tank top with a red plaid shirt. She had no make-up on and looked so good and all at once, Piper felt mildly over dressed and she cursed herself. She stood up as Alex approached the table with a small smile.

"Hey!" Alex said, leaning in to buss her cheek and sit down.

"Hey! You look good. But I can see your shiner. That must have really hurt." Piper said, tilting her head to almost stare at Alex's bruise.

"Ugh. It sucks. Oh well. Pancakes?" Alex asked, motioning for the waitress to come over.

"Yes please. Pancakes sound really good." Piper said, her fingers plucking at the corner of the menu. Alex placed their order and turned to look back at Piper. She reached out and took Piper's hand in hers, smiling at the goosebumps on the blonde's hand.

"The menus cost quite a bit to print Pipes. Please don't destroy them!" Alex said, smirking.

"Oh. Um.. Okay. I guess we should talk huh?" Piper said, looking up at Alex's face. At her nod, Piper continued "I know I shouldn't have just blurted it out. I don't regret what I said, because I mean every word, but I do regret how I said it. I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have just laid it all out on you like that." Piper said, calmly, feeling at ease as she felt Alex's thumb run soothing circles on the back of her hand.

"Yeah. You shouldn't have done that, but weirdly, I'm glad you did. It's at least gotten us talking right?" Alex said, looking at Piper, unsure of how to go from there. She was in no hurry to get back into anything with Piper, but at the same time, she couldn't deny the rush between her legs and the warmth in her heart that this woman brought forth. She was tired of screwing over and being screwed over but didn't know how to end the cycle.

"Yeah. Talking. Al, we kissed last night. Did that mean anything or not? I'm all in. You know exactly where I stand. I wanna be with you, but I don't want to be with someone who doesn't want me." Piper said, withdrawing her hand from Alex's.

Alex immediately felt the loss. "Pipes, honestly, I want you. But I don't want to be in a relationship with you. I'm not at that all consuming place right now. I may get there, but I can't give you what you want. I've been stung way too many times to jump right back in. I want to date you, fuck. I love you, but that's what's holding me back. I love you so much it hurts but I don't trust you. I need time." Alex said, looking directly into Piper's eyes. She could see the pain and disappointment in her face, but Alex stood her ground. She wasn't going to let history repeat. She needed to be smart about this.

Piper felt the tears prick her eyes and looked down, willing them to leave. She looked up at Alex, leaned in and kissed her. She felt Alex draw her closer and she opened her mouth to let Alex's tongue in. She felt warm, loved and safe but knew Alex didn't feel the same way. She drew back, looking at Alex's face, her hand cupping the brunette's cheek, she said "Then Al, lets date. Let's you and me date, you can, um, see other people if you want to. We can take things slow."Piper was serious when she said she wanted to be with Alex. If this was how they were going to start over, then so be it. She would rather date Alex than not have her at all.

"Wow. I'll try not to see anyone else Pipes. But yeah. I wanna date too. See where it goes. Yadda yadda yadda." Alex said, taken aback by Piper's suggestion.

"It's so strange to be having this conversation." Piper said, looking around her, feeling surreal. When they had first started, they fucked first and talked later. Now they were having a legitimate conversation about dating and boundaries.

"Haha yeah. Let's change that shall we? Um.. so are you the third date only kind of girl or do you wanna see where I live?" Alex asked, smirking. She knew the answer as she held out her hand for Piper to join her.

**A/N: Sorry. This isn't as good, but I just wanted to get this out so that we can move onto the good stuff in the next chapter. Dating drama. And sex. **


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